Applying for a job

Applying for a job vacancy
Your completed application form must be return by 5.00 pm on the day of the closing
date. CV’s are only accepted as supporting information an application form must be
completed.
References
Check referees are happy for us to contact them. If you do not wish a reference to be
taken up at this stage, please mark this clearly on your form. It is our policy to approach
referees before making an offer of employment. Please note that in entering the
name(s) of referees in the section you will be deemed to have given your consent to us
approaching these people for purposes of verification.
Do not use relatives as a referee, these will not be accepted.
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)
Posts involving close work with children or vulnerable adults will be subject to a
satisfactory CRB check. The CRB checks also apply to other specified occupations.
Further information is enclosed for those that are covered by these regulations.
Equal opportunities policy
In accordance with current legislation and codes of practice we aim to ensure that no
councillor, employee or prospective employee will be treated unfavourably on the
grounds of colour, race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, marital status, disability, sexuality,
nationality or age.
Every possible step will be taken to ensure that individuals are treated equally and fairly
and that decisions on recruitment, selection, training, promotion and redeployment are
based solely on objective, non-discriminatory criteria.
The Council will aim to employ a workforce that broadly reflects the community we
serve. Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that individuals from groups that are
currently under-represented in the Council’s workforce are encouraged to apply for posts
within the Authority.
The Council will continue to develop and implement non-discriminatory practices to
ensure that individuals are treated with dignity and respect. In attempting to ensure
equality in all matters of employment a monitoring procedure has been established. In
order to effectively monitor the policy, applicants are asked to complete the equal
opportunities policy form attached at the back of the application form. The information
contained on this form is strictly confidential and is treated separately from the
application form.
Shortlisting
After the closing date, all applications will be considered and those applicants who most
closely meet all the criteria for the post will be selected for interview. The shortlisting
officers are trained only to use information from the application form, and not to make
assumptions.
Your application form is assessed to see how your skills, experience, knowledge and
qualifications match the requirements for the job. The job specification is determined
prior to receiving your application form and states the job related shortlisting criteria.
We do not shortlist applicants who do not appear to meet the essential requirements in
the person specification.
It is our policy to write to all unsuccessful candidates.
Prior to the interview
If you are invited to interview it is important to prepare. Some important tips to
remember are:
 Read all of the information you have, and clarify any points you do not understand at
the interview.
 If possible try to research the job for which you have applied.
 Try to think about any questions we may ask you, and how you would answer them.
 What are your strengths in relation to this job? What skills, experience, knowledge
and qualifications do you have that might make us choose you for the job?
 Write down any questions you may like to ask, and bring them with you to the
interview.
 Please refer to the interview letter to establish where and when the interview is.
Ensure you know how long it will take you to get there. Being five minutes early will
allow you to relax and compose yourself.
Often several people will be invited for interview and whilst we make every effort to
remain on schedule, your interview may take place later than your appointment time. If
this happens, we will not rush your interview.
The interview
The interview panel will be made up of at least two members. The panel will ask the
same basic set of questions to each candidate and supplementary questions may be
asked based on your answers. Always be well prepared for the interview as it is our
chance to ask you questions to establish if you can actually do the job.
It is also your chance to ask questions about the job, terms and conditions of service,
etc. You may notice members of the panel making notes. This will be done against an
assessment sheet so that the reasons for their decision are consistent and justified. It
will enable the panel to recall which candidate said what, which will determine the
decision for the best candidate for the post.
Occasionally we will need you to undertake a personality profile and tests as part of the
selection process. This enables us to assess your skills, experience and knowledge in a
way that is more efficient than asking questions. The tests will always be job related and
will be just one of the factors considered in the final outcome.
You will be notified in the invitation to interview letter if the selection process is to include
personality profile or tests. At the interview it is important to remember the following
points:
 Try to relax, pay attention and look at the interview panel.
 Listen carefully to the questions being asked. You must concentrate and stay
focused.
 If you do not hear a question properly ask the panel to repeat it. Do not try and
guess what was said.
 Speak clearly and answer concisely. Try not to “waffle”.
 You should answer the question that has been asked. If you do not understand the
question, or do not know the answer, say so. It is best to be honest and not to guess
what was meant.
 You should be ready to ask your prepare questions, if they have not already been
answered in the interview.
 You can ask to refer to your questions if you need to.
 It is important for you to gather all the information you need to establish whether you
will accept the job if it is offered to you.
After the interview the panel will notify you of when and how you will be informed of the
outcome. The panel members will discuss their individual marks against the
assessment sheet. If a test has been conducted the marks from this will also be
incorporated at this stage. The panel will then determine who matches the job
specification most closely, and select the successful applicant.
Successful applicants will be notified as soon as possible, usually by telephone, that
they have been selected subject to, where applicable, a medical clearance and CRB
check.